How to avoid canker sores

An illustration of woman with canker sore pain in her mouth. (Akron Beacon Journal/Getty...)

If you've ever had a canker sore, you might wonder how something so small could be so painful. I've been getting them since I was a kid. Most of the time, they were on the inside of my cheek or lip, but sometimes I got them on the side of my tongue. Those were the worst because my tongue would rub against my teeth when I ate or talked. Ouch!

A canker sore is a flat lesion that starts small, but typically grows to the size of a pencil eraser. (Lesion is the word doctors use for an abnormal area on the skin or within your body.) Canker sores are yellow or gray with a red border. Some people get more than one at a time. Most canker sores go away without treatment in a week or two.

No one knows what causes canker sores, but certain things seem to trigger them. Stress and tissue injury are the biggest triggers for most people. Lots of people get canker sores after they bite their cheek while eating. Some people get them after eating acidic foods such as lemons and pineapple. Canker sores are not the same thing as “cold sores.” They are not contagious.

There are lots of unproven remedies for canker sores. When I was a kid, my mom started by having me gargle saltwater. I hated this because it made the canker sores hurt more and never seemed to work. If my sores lasted for more than a week, I was marched to the doctor where a chemical called silver nitrate was applied to the area. Silver nitrate was supposed to speed the healing process, but other than giving me a pounding headache, it was no different than saltwater.

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The first time I got relief from my canker sores was in college. I had just returned from the health center after someone had jabbed a silver nitrate stick into my mouth. My roommate's father was a dentist, and he jumped into action as soon as he saw my pitiful face. I learned two things from that encounter. First, stay away from silver nitrate. Second, use a steroid dental paste, which a doctor or dentist can prescribe, with future canker sores.

Over the years, I learned one more important fact about canker sores. Most toothpaste contains a chemical called sodium lauryl sulfate (SLS). This substance is designed to make toothpaste foamy. Unfortunately, it's also a skin irritant. If you get canker sores, the last thing you need is something that irritates the inside of your mouth. Mouthwash may also contain SLS.

As soon as I stopped using regular toothpaste, the number of canker sores I got dropped by 50 percent.

There are a number of nonprescription canker sore medicines you can get at the drugstore. You shouldn't use them without your parents' approval, but it's worth trying different ones to see if they help.

If you want to be a member of the No Canker Club, brush your teeth with the right toothpaste, use a soft-bristle toothbrush and chew carefully!

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